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Wisconsin Republican Party

When the 168 members of the Republican National Committee vote to choose a new chairman [today], they’ll be selecting more than a political tactician-in-chief.

At the end of a cycle that left the RNC deeply in debt, battered by charges of financial mismanagement and undercut and overshadowed by a throng of GOP-aligned outside groups, the committee needs a prolific fundraiser who’s also a top administrator and communicator.

No one in the running exactly fits the bill.

While each of the four party insiders seeking to oust Chairman Michael Steele– who took office less than two years ago with a pledge to give the RNC “something completely different” – brings a unique set of skills, none have the national stature to compete with Steele’s TV-ready style.

Still, the former Maryland lieutenant governor enters Friday’s voting in a dire position, with a majority of RNC members less inclined to praise Steele than to replace him. Steele has already slipped behind his leading challenger in public vote counts of the RNC race.

On a tactical level, the race has come down to two questions: How quickly can Steele’s challengers leave him in the dust? And can anyone get a decisive edge if the chairman falters early?

Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus, a former Steele adviser and RNC general counsel, has support from more than a quarter of the committee – 44 members, according to POLITICO’s running tally.

In contrast, just 24 members of the committee are known to have decided to support Steele for reelection. Read More…

Let me first say that Think Progress is not a conspiracy type site that constantly reports on many forms of conspiracy from either the right or the left. In the case of this article, the left leaning blog brought in a guest blogger, to report on this story.

I, for one can believe in it’s credibility because I saw years of voter caging going on under the Bush administration with the help of its Justice Department and other agencies. Voter caging is simply voter suppression of minorities. The practice is illegal, yet frequently used by the Republican party and has been used for decades.

My problem is, if this voter caging has been discovered in Wisconsin, one can be fairly certain that it is or will be used in other states during the mid-term elections. I could write an entire post on voter caging but for now, I’ll refer you to Think progress and Greg Palast, an expert and whistleblower on the subject.

When you get a chance, look up the names Monica Goodling and Tim Griffin. Then you’ll get an idea why I’m so passionate about this issue.

“Voter caging” is a means of voter suppression and intimidation that involves sending mail to a list of voters, compiling a list of mail pieces returned as undeliverable, and then challenging those voters at the polls or otherwise attempting to remove them from the voter rolls. The mere process of challenging voters can intimidate from voting even if they are eligible, cause long lines to form at polling places that will then discourage others from voting, and may result in eligible voters casting provisional ballots which stand a high likelihood of not being counted in the final tally.

In the alleged conspiracy uncovered in Wisconsin, Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity — whose Wisconsin state chair was previously banned from politics in Wisconsin for three years, would finance a test mailing and other costs associated with compiling the caging list and then coordinate with the Wisconsin Republican Party to undertake an elaborate process to remove voters from the rolls ahead of the election, if possible, or at the polls on Election Day. Tea party groups were to provide the volunteer labor and cover for the activity — with all participants signing an extensive non-disclosure agreement under which they agreed to publicly operate in the name of Wisconsin GrandSons for Liberty, who would also provide some funding for the plan. The Wisconsin GOP would also provide additional funds, trainers for the tea party volunteers and would have a team of lawyers “standing by” on Election Day to respond to tea party volunteers and “bring the police” if necessary. As is typically the case in voter caging operations, the plotters appeared intent on targeting minorities, students, and others from heavily-Democratic areas of the state.